Saturday, December 13, 2008

Good evening! My daughter, Natalie, has been itching for me to make her a new loooooong skirt, as she says. She wanted one that would touch the ground, mostly so that she could dance around like a princess! So I went through my stockpile of fabric and made up this little creation. It's a tad big around the waist, but I was worried that it would shrink a little in the wash. It's a fine corduroy.

I thought this little green sweater would look nice with it too. It also has a matching hooded, long sleeve sweater in case we get some cooler weather. (This is SC, you know!)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The powers of Google are not to be denied. After realizing that our local farmer's market was only seasonal - hey, I'm new at this! - I was a bit disappointed. What's better than a farmer's market? Really? So, I went to my good old pal, Google, and did a quick search. I found a huge market in Charlotte that is open year round! What a treasure! Now, I would rather visit a SC market since I do live in SC, but the nearest year-round SC market was an hour and a half away.... not the most frugal choice.

So, hopefully soon I will be able to write all about my first trip to this huge market!

I really want to start planning our meals and making our dollars stretch a little further. I will be taking a paycut in January, so I need to start getting used to it now and stocking the pantry. Here is this week's menu. I didn't get to it yesterday, so I just started with today. I am also trying to add in some meat to my diet and more veggies, of course.TuesdayBreakfast: Bacon, Eggs, ToastLunch: OutDinner: SpaghettiWednesdayBreakfast: Bacon, Fried Eggs, ToastLunch: Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Tomato SoupDinner: Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Cheese SandwichesThursdayBreakfast: Boiled Eggs, Toast, YogurtLunch: Left OversDinner: Chili and CornbreadFridayBreakfast: Bacon, Fried Eggs, ToastLunch: Taco SaladDinner: Beef StewSaturdayBreakfast: Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, SausageLunch: Hamburgers, Home Fries, and PeasDinner: Crock Pot LasagnaSundayBreakfast: Sausage, Gravy, Biscuits, EggsLunch: Left OversDinner: Chicken, Rice, Broccoli Casserole (**Providing I can find a recipe that doesn't use condensed soup**)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Today is December 4, 2008. I am beginning to prepare for the new year. My new year's resolution for 2009 is to evolve. I have spent a lot of time this past year learning and reading about different lifestyles. I have tried diets, menus, vegetarianism, exercise, nutrition classes, and more. But, that has all just led me to my ultimate decision: learning never stops.

Just when I think I have it all figured out, something else hurls its way into my path that changes my mind, sometimes just a little bit, sometimes radically. So what does that have to do with my resolution? Everything. My resolution is to evolve with the knowledge that I obtain and not feel bad for making mistakes in my ignorance. That's just silly if you think about it.

Evolve. Yes, that is a pretty vague resolution, but it is really just part of the plan. I have a few guidelines that I plan to implement, but those could always change if I learn that they are not the ideal.

Here are my guidelines:1. Love every day. There's always something there that is good.2. Take time to mediate everyday - even if it is just a few minutes before falling asleep.3. Eat better. Make more meals with organic, local, in-season products.... and actually make them at home.4. Learn to cook without a recipe.5. Be creative with food and do not fear it.6. Read more than just fiction.7. Store food. Can food. Preserve it.8. Be frugal. Make the money stretch. Eat leftovers. :-)9. Exercise. (This is going to be a hard one for me!)10. Go natural and earth friendly.

Well, that list is a year in the making..... I hope with every fiber of my being that I am successful in the coming year. That is my goal.

Oh, and one more thing...... I want to track my progress on this blog!